Mail-receiving delivery apparatus.



PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

F. M. HUBLBY. .MAIL RECEIVING DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED M AR.19,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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2s 2' w 9 26 WNW A W A ll/fl Wihamoeo W I altozuei w Blissfield, in the county of Ooshocton and UNITED STATES B QLENT oFFroE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 19, 1906. Serial No. 307,117.

Patented July 24, 1909.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK M. HURLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Receiving Delivery Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention contemplates certain new.

and useful im rovements in mail-bag re ceiving and de ivering apparatus for trains; and the object of the invention is to provide an improved ap aratus of this character which can be readily adjusted in a projected I 5 position out of either side door of a mail-car 1n roper relation to simultaneously receive "an deliver mail-bags and which is provided with automatic means whereby the entire apparatus 'will'be withdrawn back into the car when the mail-bag has been received thereby, such action bein effected by the impact or force of the bag t at is received.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a 2 5 knowledge of the details of construction of the means for eflecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ortion 0 of a railway mail-car embodyin t e imto the arms. Fig.

looking at the un er side 0 the carriage claprovements on my invention. ig. 2 is a orizontal sectional view. Fig. 3 isafvertical sectional view. -Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the means fp; holding the devices 35 in their projected positions from the cardoor. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the bag-catching hook. Fig. 6' is a detail erspective view of a portion of the bagholdmg arms and the ad usting-rod for hol ing the fingers of said arms at right angles 7 is a erspective view signed to support the upper end of the standard.

to inthe followin description and indicated in all the views 0 the drawings by the same reference characters.

Extending transversely of the-floor oi -the mail-car is a track 1, desi ed to support my improved apparatus. T e standar or uprig t post 2 of the apparatus is provided vat its lower end with a foot 3, mounted between the rails of the track 1 and'with rollers 4, ssinounted on said track-rails., It is alsopro- Corresponding and like parts are referred posite movement of said lat vided with projecting brackets 5, one above the other, as shown, and to the lowermost bracket hangers 6 are secured, said hangers su porting at their lower ends one or more ro lers 7, designed to coact with the rollers 4, so as to support the apparatus in a steady manner as it moves transversely to the car on the track 1. Arms 8 are ivotally mounted on the upper surfaces of the brackets'fi, so as to swing in a horizontal plane, and the outer ends of said arms carry ivoted fin ers 9, also mounted to swing in t e same p ane as the arms and designed to directly support that mail bag or bags that are intended to be delivered from the train. The fingers 9 are rovided with sockets 10, preferably near t eir pivoted ends, and a Y-shaped adjusting-rod 11 has its bifurcated and outwardly-bent extremity inserted in the sockets 10 and has its main member 12 adjustably received in an a erture 13 in the standard 2. Themain mem er or stem 12 of the ad'usting-rod 10 is preferably buckled interme 'ate its ends to constitute a locking portion 14, designed to engage opposite sides of the standard when such portion is in the a erture, whereby to hol the adjusting-r0 in the required position. The Y-shaped or bifurcated end of the adjusting-rod extends in a vertical plane, as shown.

A catching and receiving hook 15 has its,

opposite sides, so that the hook maybe sup; ported in proper horizontal position withits 1 o ening facing in one direction orthe other.

in an oblique direction and is normally turned toward the shank of the hookby means of a com ression -s Ii 20. The o P p ix-bar may is effected by means of a slidable rod 21, mounted in bearings on the shank of the hook 15 and connected 170511116 latch-bar by a jointed link 21. I j

The latch-bar 1 9 is designed to coast with e outer end of the shank 15 carries apiv 'oted latch-bar 19, which extends rearwardly a spring-projected trigger 22, mounted within a casing 23 at .one side of the door-frames, the rear end of the latch-bar being designed for reception in the outer end of said casing with the trigger in retracted position, and this position of the trigger is maintained by means of a latch-pin 24, preferably inserted through the lower side of the casing 23 into engagement. with a forwardly-facing shoulder on the trigger. j

To the rear end of the standard 2 is secured a com ression-spring 25, one end of said spring ein provided With a hook designed for detacha le engagement with links 26, secured to the sides of the door-frames. The upper end of the standard 2 is revolubly mounted in a carria e 27, which is provided with hangers and re lers 28, mounted to run upon an elevated track 29, extending transversely of the car and preferably near the roof thereof. A s ring-catch 3,0 is secured to the upper end of t is standard 2 and its latch is adapted to enter either one of two opposite sockets 31 on the lower side of the carriage, whereby to'rigidly hold the standard and the entire apparatus with respect to the carriage and tracks in either one position or the reverse.

Ir i the practical operation of my improved ap 'aratus the spring 25 is secured to the lin s 26 011 the door-frame opposite the door from which it is intended the apparatus shall be projected. The standard 2 is then run transversely toward the opposite door, the spring 25 being stretched or put under tension by such movement, and such movement is continued until the hook l5 and the fingers 9 are carried out of the door into proper posia ainst the tension of its spring 20 and is p aced with its rear end. in the outer end of the casing 23, the trigger 22 on said casing being held in its retracted position by means of the pin 24, as above described.

The fin ers 9 are held at right an les to their arms 8 by means of the Y-shaped adjustingrod 11, the position of said fingers depending upon the direction in which the caris moving, so that the hook on the ap aratus along the track may stri the mail ag or be s from said fingers. T hen the hook l5 catc less the mail-bag, the force of-the impact will result in tl1e latch-bar 19 retractin the trigger 2.2 to a further extent, which wi lcarry it away from contact with the ends of the latch-pin. 24 and allow said pin to drop out of the easing 23. Thereupon the sprin of the trigger will retract and cause the latter to move sharply forward to carry the latch-bar completely out of engagement with the end of the casing 23, and hence the s iring 25 will be allrured to act and will draw t e entire appaceases ratus back into the car and out of the way. It is of course to be understood that the easings 23 and their concomitant parts may be arranged on both door-frames at opposite sides of the car and at opposite sides of the frames, so that the apparatus may be used in connection with either door by merely turning the standard, as above described, and se- Having thus described the invention,'what is claimed as new is p 1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a bag-catching hook, means for holding said hook in a projected position from the car-door, a spring normally tending to Withdraw said hook and held from action by the means for holding the hook projected, and means for releasin said last-named means whereby to allow t iespring to act.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a bag-catching hook, a spring normally tending to hold said. hook within a car, means for holding said hook in a projected position from the door of the car, against the action of said spring, and means whereby the impact or" a bag in the hook will release the same from the means which holds it projected.

3. An apparatus of thecharacter described, comprising a bag-catching hook, a latch-bar carried thereby and designed to hold the hook in projected position from the door of a car, a spring tendin to retract said hopk,

and meansjwhereby e impact of a bag in the hook will release the hook-holding means.

4. An apparatus of the character described,

comprising a standard, tension means secured to said standard, a swiveled bag catchin hook carried by said standard, means carrie by said hook for holding the latter with the tension means under tension, outof the door of a car, and means whereby the impact of a bag in the hook will release said holding means, whereby the spring will draw the standard and hook backwardly. i

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a spring-pressed trigger, means for holdin said trigger in retracted position, a bag-cat hing' hook designed to be held in projected osition out of the door of a car, and provi ed with a latch-bar arisen to be held contiguous to said trigger and in operative relation thereto, and means whereby the impact of 'a'bag in the hook will release the trigger-holding device and allow the same to act upon said latch-bar, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. An apparatus of the character described, comprisin a standard mounted to move transverse y of a car, a bag-catching hook carried by said standard and provided with a pivotal latch-bar, a spring normally tending to hold the latch-bar against the shank of the hook, a casing secured to a door-frame of the car, a spring-projected trigger in said casing,

means for holding said trigger in'retracted position, the latch-bar being designed for insertion in the end of the casing to hold the hook in projected position, and means whereby the impact of a bag in the hook will automatically release the trigger and allow the same to push the latch-bar out of the casing, and .means for drawing the standard and hook rearwardly into the car, substantially comprisin 2 5 as set forth.

7. An apparatus of the character described, a standard mounted to move transverse y of a car, a bag-catching hook carried by said standard and provided with a pivotal latch-bar, a spring normally tending to hold the latch-bar against the shank of the hook, a casing secured to a door-frame of the car, a s ring-projected trigger in said casing, means or o ding said trigger in retracted position, the latch-bar being designed for insertion in the end of the casing to hold the hook in rejected position, a slidable actuatard in one position or the reverse with respect to the tracks.

9. An apparatus of the character described, com rising a standard, bag-holding arms pivotal y mounted on said standard, fingers pivotally mounted on the ends of said arms, an adjusting-rod secured to said fingers and arranged for detachable en agement with the standard and designed to Irold said fingers in angular relation to the arms.

10. An apparatus of the character described, com rising a standard, bag-holding arms pivotal y mounted on said standard, fingers pivotally mounted on the ends of said arms, and a Y-shaped adjusting-rod connected to said fingers, and arranged for detachable connection to the standard, and designed to hold said fingers in angular relation to the arms.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a transverselymovable standard, arranged to move across the floor of a car, bag devices carried by said. standard, means for reversing the standard and the bag devices, means for projecting the bag devices out of either door of the car, and a spring designed to retract said standard and bag devices.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a transverselymovable standard, arranged to move across the floor of a car, bag devices carried by said standard, means for reversing the standard and the bag devices, means for projecting the bag devices out of either door of the car, a spring secured at one end of said standard and having a hook at its other end, and links secured to the door-frames and arranged for detachable connection to said hook, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK HURLEY. [1,. s1

WVitnesses LAURA Fox, ELMER L. Fox. 

